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James Gunn’s Superman has finally arrived in theaters around the world. This marks the big start of the Dcu’s live-action reboot. David Corenswet puts on the cape as Superman, with Rachel Brosnahan playing Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult stepping in as a very modern version of Lex Luthor.

This movie isn’t about Clark Kent becoming Superman. He’s already in action when the story begins. The world around him is loud, chaotic, packed with magic, and full of superheroes. There’s no slow build here—things are already moving fast.

Before the film’s release, early social media reactions were glowing. Now that official reviews are out, the tone hasn’t changed much.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Superman currently sits at 86% approval, based on 147 reviews. The feedback is mostly positive, and critics seem to agree on what works and what doesn’t.

A lot of critics say...

The wait is over. James Gunn’s Superman has officially landed in theaters around the world. This marks the beginning of the new DC Universe on the big screen, and fans are finally getting to see David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. He’s joined by Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

This isn’t another origin story. Superman is already on the job, and the world around him is chaotic, filled with superheroes, villains, and plenty of action. It’s a fast-paced, magical place where anything can happen—and usually does.

Early social media reactions were very positive, and that same energy has carried over into official reviews.

As of now, Superman holds an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 147 reviews. That’s a strong start for a reboot, especially one with so much pressure riding on it.

Most critics seem to agree: this is a fun,...

After more than two decades, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland have returned to the world of the infected with 28 Years Later, the long-incubating sequel to 2002’s 28 Days Later.

The film hosted its world premiere in London on Wednesday, with reviews from critics arriving shortly after — and so far the results are strong. With 78 reviews in, it stands at 95 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Read on for a sampling of what critics are saying about the film, which opens Friday and stars newcomer Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney wrote, “One of the chief rewards of 28 Years Later is that it never feels like a cynical attempt to revisit proven material merely for commercial reasons. Instead, the filmmakers appear to have returned to a story whose allegorical commentary on today’s grim political landscape seems more relevant than ever.

Jenna Ortega’s Hurry Up Tomorrow ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Jenna Ortega walks into 2025 with more audience love than critical acclaim. Her latest film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, continues a trend that’s become familiar, where critics aren’t buying in, but viewers are showing up anyway. The psychological thriller, directed and edited by Trey Edward Shults, pairs Ortega with Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, and Barry Keoghan. It’s also a visual companion to The Weeknd’s sixth studio album, and his first major leap into feature filmmaking.

A Star-Studded Psychological Thriller That Falls Flat with Critics

The movie didn’t exactly open strong. At first, the critic score hovered at rock bottom, hitting a flat zero before crawling up to a still-bleak 13% (per Rotten Tomatoes). Meanwhile, the audience proved far more forgiving, handing it a 70%, which shows a sizable gap in the disconnect between general viewers and film reviewers.

What do you get when you put red-hot stars like the Weeknd, Barry Keoghan, Jenna Ortega, and Riley Keough in a movie together? Apparently, a "self-indulgent" mess and a "feature-length ego-stroke," say the critics — ouch.

The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) cowrote and produced the new film Hurry Up Tomorrow, which serves as a companion piece to his sixth studio album, released in January. Trey Edward Shults (Waves) directed and cowrote the Lionsgate picture, which is being described as a "musical psychological thriller." Reza Fahim (The Idol) is the third cowriter.

Hurry Up Tomorrow has a tepid 15 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 30 score at Metacritic, making it one of the worst-reviewed movies of 2025 so far. For comparison's sake, the reigning Razzie "winner" for Worst Picture, Madame Web, earned an 11 percent last year on the all-important Tomatometer, and instantly became the butt of countless jokes.

The film's plot follows the...

Alfred Hitchcock’s legacy is being reexamined by the best modern critics. IndieWire can exclusively share the list of esteemed journalists, including IndieWire’s own Kate Erbland, who will be moderating one of the highly-anticipated “Hitch! The Original Cinema Influencer” screening series panels.

As IndieWire previously announced, Netflix is hosting a theatrical re-release of Hitchcock’s most beloved features at the Paris Theater in New York City. Fittingly, the screening series is co-presented with the New York Film Critics Circle; members of the leading national critics group will be on hand to discuss the curated collection of Hitchcock films.

“Hitch! The Original Cinema Influencer” will be a six-week screening series that coincides with the iconic auteur’s features being available to stream on Netflix starting June 1. “Hitch! The Original Cinema Influencer” will run from May 16 through June 29, and is set to include more than 60 films, 36 of which are directed by...

Christopher Nolan is known for sticking with actors he likes, with folks like Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy all appearing in multiple outings for the director across decades. Which makes it a little confusing that the star of Nolan's first big breakout flick has never worked with him...

Welcome to Oscar Experts Mailbag, a rebranded version of Oscar Experts Typing and a spin-off of “Awards Magnet,” in which Gold Derby editors and experts Joyce Eng and Christopher Rosen answer your burning questions of the week. Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Email your questions to slugfests@goldderby.com.

Sean writes:

Hi Joyce and Chris,

I noticed a lot of Oscars prognosticators have recently moved “Conclave” to the top of their Best Picture rankings, including a narrow plurality of Gold Derby experts. I just saw the movie — how entertaining, hilarious, and surprisingly subtle. I was cracking up when they slammed the dead pope’s body into the back of an ambulance and flashed the title card. Does it have any chance of pulling off a “Coda,” “Spotlight,” or “Argo”-style win by becoming a consensus, down-the-middle crowd-pleaser? Or does it need more critical support? I think it...

Will “Emilia Pérez” dominate the Golden Globes? Gold Derby editors and experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng make their first 2025 Golden Globe winners predictions in this episode of “Awards Magnet.” Plus: An interview with New York Film Critics Circle member Jordan Hoffman.

“Emilia Pérez” scored a record-breaking 10 nominations, but how many will it actually win? A reminder that “Barbie” led the field last year with nine and “only” walked away with two prizes, including the inaugural Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award. It lost Best Comedy/Musical Film to “Poor Things.” Could the same fate befall “Emilia Pérez”? It has competitive rivals in five-time nominee “Anora,” which hit every category it needed to hit, and in four-time nominee “Wicked,” which missed Best Director and Best Screenplay but is a blockbuster smash. On the drama side, “The Brutalist” leads with seven bids, but could the well-liked “Conclave” upset anywhere?

See ‘Awards...

The Surprise Box Office Hit Last Weekend? A Pottery-Making Cat

It’s doubtful J.D. Vance bought a ticket, but the ninth annual CatVideoFest sold a record $281,000 worth of tickets during the Aug. 3 weekend, when it opened on 106 screens across the country, with such venues as L.A.’s Vidiots playing to sold-out crowds. “It’s our biggest opening ever,” purrs Will Braden, the Seattle-based videographer who’s been running the festival since 2016. “It was way bigger than we expected.” Indeed, when you crunch the data, the fest — which is really just a 75-minute compilation reel featuring Braden’s edits of the best online feline content of the past year, like YouTube sensation Momo, a cat who makes pottery on a pedal wheel — performed better per screen than some major releases, including Harold and the Purple Crayon and Fly Me to the Moon. And those numbers should only go up as...

A New O.J. Movie Stars the Controversial Charlotte Kirk (But Definitely Not Owen Wilson)

Hey, Hollywood, anybody interested in a partially finished film about how O.J. Simpson might have been innocent? One that stars Charlotte Kirk — the English actress best known for her previous role in taking down moguls Kevin Tsujihara and Ron Meyer in a 2019 sex scandal — as Nicole Brown Simpson? If yes, this is your lucky day. According to British director Joshua Newton, about 30 minutes of The Juice (originally titled Nicole and O.J.) is in the can, mostly flashback scenes featuring Kirk and German-born actor Boris Kodjoe, currently on ABC’s Station 19, who plays the late NFL star turned acquitted murderer. Newton, who has been working on this “satirical thriller” since 2015, says the picture’s main plotline involves a real-life attorney named Douglas McCann who got sucked into various conspiracy theories during Simpson’s 1995 criminal trial.

Clockwise from top left: Infinite Storm (Bleecker Street), Monica (IFC Films), The Abyss (20th Century Fox), Mercy Road (Well Go USA Entertainment)Image: The A.V. Club

For February, Hulu brings home a bunch of under-the-radar indie offerings as well as at least one big-budget movie that has proved elusive on streaming services.

Clockwise from top left: Hellraiser (Anchor Bay Entertainment), Night Of The Living Dead (screenshot), Train To Busan ( Well Go USA), M3GAN (Universal), Nope (Universal)Graphic: AVClub

’Tis the season for horror, and Amazon Prime Video subscribers have plenty of movie-watching options to send chills up their spine. The streamer...

Whether or not you agree with Quentin Tarantino’s unsparing assertion that “’80s cinema is, along with the ’50s, the worst era in Hollywood history,” there’s a curiously undeniable truth to his follow-up statement: “Matched only by now! Matched only by the current era.” Revisiting the defining movies of the ’80s from our current perspective at the height of Barbenheimer summer, two things become abundantly clear.

The first is that modern Hollywood would probably need a Barbenheimer every month in order to equal the creative output of a studio system that used to be capable of releasing “Blade Runner” and “The Thing” on the same night as if it were just another Friday. The second is that, in a wide variety of different ways both negative and not, the ’80s provide a perfect match for the movies of our current moment — if not the current moment itself.

Perhaps that...

On August 2, 2023, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” was released to rave reviews, holding fresh at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics consensus reads, “With its unique visual style and a story that captures the essence of the franchise’s appeal, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ is an animated treat for the whole family.” Read our full review round-up below.

In the film directed by Jeff Rowe and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the iconic group returns to the big screen in the latest reboot of the franchise. This time around, the Turtle brothers work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants. The movie was produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, with the screenplay by Rogen, Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit.

See Box office preview: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ and ‘Meg 2’ take big swings against ‘Barbenheimer’

Voicing...

More than four decades after the New Hollywood films of the ’60s and ’70s hit screens and became enshrined as a near-mythological period of artistic excellence in American cinema, the era’s attributes also become increasingly contrasted with current American cinema.

Nonconformity, provocation and experimentation were mainstream. Today, those qualities aren’t selling movie tickets but instead driving streamer subscriptions. And the big hits are all characterized by the packaged goods franchise hits that dominate box office to the almost total exclusion of personal cinema.

Which is a long explanation of why awards season is more essential than ever.

As someone who lived through and loved the New Hollywood films and filmmakers, this is the time of year when the hunger for the ambitious telling of difficult stories is sated.

In addition to Todd Field’s wonderful and already much-celebrated “Tár,” which has evoked positive comparisons to the best of New Hollywood giant Stanley Kubrick,...

James Cameron brought a select group of lucky junketeers, critics, and awards pundits in major cities back to Pandora on Tuesday, for the first screenings of “Avatar: The Way of Water.” But many of the invitees were absolutely wowed by the propulsive filmmaking, high-tech special effects, and even the emotional reach of the film.

Let’s turn now to Twitter, where this reporter witnessed one New York-based wag posting his opinion as he relieved himself in the men’s room after the three-plus hour extravaganza.

“New York” Magazine’s Bilge Ebiri was caught up by the picture hook, line, and sinker.

Avatar: The Way Of Water might be James Cameron’s sweetest, gentlest, most personal film. Possibly even his most emotional. It revisits all his greatest hits, but it’s always totally sincere. He is never leaving Pandora. He loves this family. By the end, I did, too.

— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) December 7, 2022

“Never doubt Cameron,...

The Paris Theater and the New York Film Critics Circle have unveiled a new bi-monthly screening series to be held at the iconic Paris Theater in Manhattan. Select films will be chosen and presented by NYFCC members, followed by discussions after the screenings. The Paris Theater, one of the oldest arthouse cinemas in the United States, was preserved by Netflix in 2019; the 571-seat theater is the last single-screen theater in New York.

“I’m thrilled about this partnership,” Jordan Hoffman, current chair of the NYFCC, said in an official statement. “Coming to the Paris Theater, the last single-screen cinema in Manhattan, is always a thrill. Its location at the southeast corner of Central Park adjacent to the Plaza Hotel already feels like something out of a movie. I’m excited to see which titles members of the Circle pick, and eager to engage in post-screening conversation. I hope New Yorkers,...

The New York Film Critics Circle is announcing its winners for the Best of 2020, and so far the group has recognized “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” actress Maria Bakalova for Best Supporting Actress, Delroy Lindo from “Da 5 Bloods” for Best Actor, and Chadwick Boseman also posthumously won for “Da 5 Bloods” (but not for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)

Chloé Zhao won Best Director on behalf of her film “Nomadland.” Eliza Hittman won Best Screenplay for “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” The Brazilian film “Bacurau” won the prize for Best Foreign Language Film. And the documentary “Time” won Best Non-Fiction Film. We’ll continue updating as more awards come in.

For its Special Awards, the New York Film Critics even took a veiled shot at streaming services like HBO Max, awarding a prize to Kino Lorber for its rollout of the virtual cinema platform Kino Marquee, calling it “a virtual distribution service that...

It’s one thing to present a hopeful vision of the future, it’s another to break new ground in the present.

With its third season, “Star Trek: Discovery” has achieved both — to eye-popping effect in some cases, to invisible seamlessness in others. In fact, it’s hard to think of any other season of “Star Trek” in the franchise’s 54-year history that offers up more changes, in front of the camera and behind the scenes. In one particular respect, “Discovery” is leaving a warp trail that the rest of the TV industry can follow: Season 3 had all aspects of its post-production completed with a crew of artists working entirely from their homes.

But the changes toward a more cutting-edge mission for the series’ production began well before lockdown. The story development phase for Season 3, which just debuted its first episode Thursday on CBS All Access, involved a radical...

While the Oscars and other awards bodies have all pushed events back on their calendar and expanded eligibility for what movies can be considered, the New York Film Critics Circle will only consider movies released in the 2020 calendar year for its annual awards.

The Nyfcc announced Friday it will vote for its 2020 awards on Dec. 18 and that only movies released in theaters or on digital platforms between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020, will be considered.

Further, the date for the group’s annual Gala Awards dinner is still to be announced, and membership for 2020 members will be frozen this year, with all current members still eligible to vote, even as many critics’ jobs have been affected by Covid-19. No new members will be voted in this year.

“This is a year unlike any other in our lifetimes. But the world of movies hasn’t stopped, and already, even in this very strange year,...

Since we’re all going to be spending a little more time at home for a while, Cinephile and The Film Stage are proud to present Cinephile Game Night, a twice-weekly livestream series that aims to bring some attention to film-related charities (and beyond) during the Covid-19 crisis.

Each evening will feature The Film Stage crew, including Jordan Raup, Conor O’Donnell, Dan Mecca, and Cinephile creator Cory Everett, and a rotating roster of special guests as we test our knowledge of movie trivia in this online version, adapted for our current self-isolated times. With each show lasting about an hour, we’ll square off and play a few rounds of Cinephile: A Card Game, including Filmography, Movie-Actor, and Six Degrees.

Viewers are invited to tune in and follow along with the cinema-related fun! Each night, we’ll feature a relief fund or charity to spotlight. If you are viewing and donate,...

As news broke that Kirk Douglas, one of the last of Hollywood’s Golden Age stars, died on Wednesday, stars from Old and New Hollywood honored the three-time Oscar nominee as a “a pillar of Hollywood” and “inspirational scalawag” for his willingness to fight for (often) liberal causes.

Leading the tribute was Douglas’ son, Michael, a Hollywood star in his own right who first announced his father’s passing on Instagram.

“Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet,” Michael Douglas wrote.

Also Read: Kirk Douglas, 'Spartacus' Star and Legend of Hollywood's Golden Age, Dies at 103

“Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I...

Palm Springs International Ff 2019: ‘Waldheim Waltz’ directed by Ruth Beckermann‘The Waldheim Waltz’, a film about truth and lies or “alternative facts” shows exactly how a dishonest man can rise to power. This documentary by director Ruth Beckermann, one of contemporary Europe’s finest documentarians premiered in Berlin’s Forum section in 2018 where it won the Glashütte Original Documentary Award. Us Distribution by Menemsha marks it immediately as a film which will be watched in Us for many years to come.Ruth Beckermann. photo by Lukas Beck‘The Waldheim Waltz’, screening at this year’s Palm Springs Film Festival was released in New York on October 19 and in Los Angeles in November 19. The film has received 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was Austria’s submission for Academy Award consideration for Best Foreign Language Film and was also submitted for Best Doc Oscar nomination.By concealing two years of his wartime service,...

The end of 2018 means there is only one year left before a massive wave of lists naming the best movies of the decade hits the internet. This time next year, critics will be furiously debating which film of the last 10 years stands out as the decade’s greatest achievement. While we’re still several months away from the decade lists, critics did take to Twitter over the Thanksgiving holiday to reveal their best films of each year since 2010, which is more or less a preview of the decade’s best films.

The lists started pouring in after Twitter user @RyanDubbbya went viral for asking which films were the best of each year this decade and posting his own list, which included the likes of “Black Swan” in 2010, Xavier Dolan’s “Mommy” in 2014, and the indie “Thunder Road” in 2018. The tweet took off with critics, as reviewers from IndieWire, RogerEbert.com,...

Keira Knightley‘s new period drama “Colette” earned rave reviews in England following its premiere at the London Film Festival. This biopic of the acclaimed writer is set in turn of the century Paris and is directed by Wash Westmoreland (“Still Alice”). It co-stars the terrific Dominic West as Colette’s husband, Willy.

Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian was among the most enthusiastic of the critics, noting: “the life of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette makes for fascinating drama in a nuanced and inspiring film with a luminous central performance.” Singling out the actress for more praise, he observed: “Colette’s life is deserving of nuance and care, and that’s what she gets in this film. She also gets Keira Knightley is top form: luminous, clever, sexy and sympathetic. The scenes of physical intimacy are tasteful and few but have quite an impact. Much of what drove Colette was a need to be recognized.

The Cannes Film Festival wrapped its 71st edition on Saturday with the Palme d’Or ceremony, awarding the top prize to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters.” Other movies recognized by Cate Blanchett’s jury included Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” (Grand Prix) and Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” (Best Director). While these movies were all well-received by the media covering the festival, one major film in competition went home empty-handed — and now, it has topped IndieWire’s critics survey of the best films of the festival.

“Burning,” Korean director Lee Chang-dong’s first feature in eight years, took first place for best film in IndieWire’s annual poll. The drama, an adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s short story “Barn Burning,” focuses on the mysterious experiences of a working class man (Ah-in Yoo) who obsesses over a seductive woman (Jeon Jong Seo) while resenting the confidant man (Steven Yeung) she spends her time around.

The 2018 Cannes Film Festival is officially in full swing: “Everybody Knows” premiered Tuesday night to open the festival, where everyone had eyes for jury president Cate Blanchett.

Asghar Farhadi’s “Everybody Knows,” or “Todos Lo Saben,” wasn’t on the market long after the film premiered to somewhat mixed reviews — Focus Features nabbed the U.S. and international rights faster than anyone could say, “Croisette.”

Blanchett and the rest of the jury took on issues of #TimesUp and the lack of female directors during a press conference on Tuesday, with Blanchett assuring audiences that all films will be regarded equally in terms of the “quality” of the work, and not whether they have a female director or not.

Also Read: Why Cannes Film Market May Move at an Escargot's Pace This Year

Wednesday will see the premiere of two competition titles, “Yommedine” and “Leto,” the former having a first-time director — a rarity for the Cannes competition. The latter is by a director under house arrest in Russia.

All in all, a continued pattern of caution will reign when it comes to deals at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, numerous industry insiders told TheWrap. In general, festival titles have been selling at a snail’s pace since last September’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Some things to watch out for during the festival: Amazon and Netflix’s spending spree — or lack thereof — this year. And distributors buying content packages with big movie stars attached.

See what everyone has been talking about on the first day of Cannes below.

“Everybody Knows” Premieres

On Tuesday, Asghar Farhadi’s new film, “Everybody Knows,” or “Todos Lo Saben,” premiered at Cannes — to somewhat mixed reviews.

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it an “intimately painful and powerful drama,” while IndieWire’s David Ehrlich described the film starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem as “a layered, absorbing kidnapping drama…. Bardem rules. Farhadi’s best since ‘A Separation.'”

However, other critics weren’t too kind. One early viewer said it was “kind of empty, low key and not at all interesting,” while Alex Billington wrote, “Just wanted it to be over, and now it thankfully is.”

Critics reviews skewed more positive than negative — on MetaCritic, the drama holds a score of 73 percent.

Also Read: 'Everybody Knows' Film Review: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem in Strongest Cannes Opener in Years

Regardless of the reviews, Focus Features pounced on “Everybody Knows,” acquiring the film for U.S. and key international territories early Wednesday morning.

Directed by Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, the film follows Laura (Cruz) on her travels from Argentina to her small home town in Spain for her sister’s wedding, bringing her two children along for the occasion. Amid the joyful reunion and festivities, the eldest daughter is abducted. In the tense days that follow, various family and community tensions surface and deeply hidden secrets are revealed.

See more reviews below.

Asghar Farhadi’s Everybody Knows is an intimately painful and powerful drama, crucially anchored by three heavyweight performances – Cruz, Bardem, Darín. Review later #Canne2018 #Cannes71 #Cannes

— Peter Bradshaw (@PeterBradshaw1) May 8, 2018

Asghar Farhadi’s Everybody Knows is an intimately painful and powerful drama, crucially anchored by three heavyweight performances – Cruz, Bardem, Darín. Review later #Canne2018 #Cannes71 #Cannes

— Peter Bradshaw (@PeterBradshaw1) May 8, 2018

Best Opener since… aveeeeery long time, but not Farhadi‘s best. #Cannes2018

— Joachim Kurz (@Mietgeist) May 8, 2018

Everybody Knows is messy melodrama that doesn’t add up to much but it’s Farhadi’s most cinematic work. Although that’s never been his strength so… #cannes2018

— Gregory Ellwood (@TheGregoryE) May 8, 2018

Everybody Knows: a layered, absorbing kidnapping drama about secrets, the specter of money, and how such things can curdle into the kind of resentment that’s starving for any chance to make itself real. Bardem rules. Farhadi’s best since A Separation. solid start to #Cannes2018.

— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) May 8, 2018

You see the twist coming 20 minutes in, but hey, Farhadis #EverybodyKnows is still fun in its delicate deconstruction of a family. Bardem is having fun. So is Cruz but her role reduces her to the sobbing mama in the end. Too bad. It could‘ve used more viciousness. #cannes2018

— Beatrice Behn (@DansLeCinema) May 8, 2018

Everybody Knows: Another rock solid episode of “The Young & The Restless” from Asghar Farhadi. The guy makes soaps! Is this a crime? I give it a B. #Cannes2018

— Jordan Hoffman (@jhoffman) May 8, 2018

Everybody Knows: Asghar Farhadi spins great yarns of doubt and tension and he's got a kidnap whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie with his latest. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem co-star, but it's an ensemble success. A strong start to #Cannes2018

— Peter Howell (@peterhowellfilm) May 8, 2018

Everybody Knows – Everybody was bored. Big Spanish wedding turns into kidnapping thriller turns into big Spanish domestic drama. Didn't grab me like Farhadi's past films. Just wanted it to be over, and now it thankfully is. #cannes2018

— Alex Billington (@firstshowing) May 8, 2018

Everybody Knows is minor Farhadi. Kind of empty, low key and not all that interesting. Applause at the press screening was muted perhaps because if just that. #Cannes2018

— The Syndicate (@YourSyndicate) May 8, 2018

Everybody Knows is maudlin siliness, it's family melodrama wrapped in a kidnapping caper that trades on the chrasima of its stars to little success. Predictability overshadows any moments of meaning or impact #Cannes2018

— ???????????????????? ???????????????????????? (@filmfest_ca) May 8, 2018

Cate Blanchett

It’s clear that the best reviews out of Cannes haven’t been about movies so far — instead, everyone can’t stop raving about Queen Cate Blanchett.

As president of the Cannes jury, Blanchett was front and center during the first day of Cannes, giving opening remarks and posing with the rest of the jury that included Ava DuVernay and Kristen Stewart (who also couldn’t stop ogling at Blanchett).

Also Read: Cannes' Female Troubles: Women Directors Have Always Been Scarce

In fact, the hashtag #Cannes2018 was filled with pictures of Blanchett in her stunning pink suit and matching sunnies.

Cate Blanchett on films by women at #Cannes2018: “[They] are not there because of their gender but because of the quality of their work. We will be assessing them as filmmakers, as we should be.” https://t.co/yjD26E0kqv pic.twitter.com/3RXMewF5vq

— IndieWire (@IndieWire) May 8, 2018

Cate Blanchett at the Cannes Jury Photocall. She looks amazing ✨ pic.twitter.com/HhB96uhetG

— Best of Cate (@bestofcate) May 8, 2018

good morning to kristen stewart and cate blanchett at cannes only pic.twitter.com/Bzn83U9tLj

— Kristen (@salesonfilm) May 8, 2018

''Being attractive doesn’t preclude being intelligent. I think this is by its very nature a glamorous, fantastic, spectacular festival full of joie de vivre, full of great, good humor, full of discord and disharmony,''

— Cate Blanchett on red-carpet glamour and Cannes. pic.twitter.com/z9CRcgokg3

— Best of Cate (@bestofcate) May 8, 2018

find someone who looks at you the way kristen stewart is looking at cate blanchett omg ???? #Cannes pic.twitter.com/9qC4socrWU

— Ashley Lee (@cashleelee) May 8, 2018

The jury faced questions of #TimesUp and the number of films directed by women during a press conference on the first day of the festival. According to IndieWire, Blanchett insisted she will look at each film with an open mind, since three films under Palme d’Or consideration are directed by women.

The films in consideration directed by women “are not there because of their gender but because of the quality of their work. We will be assessing them as filmmakers, as we should be.”

“Would I like to see more women in competition?” Blanchett asked. “Absolutely.”

According to TheWrap’s Steve Pond, the Cannes Film Festival has had a dismal record of showcasing the work of female directors for decaes. Over the first 71 years of Cannes, a paltry 4.3 percent of the competition films have been directed by women.

Only one, Jane Campion’s “The Piano,” has won Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or, though actresses Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seudoux were given honorary Palmes alongside “Blue Is the Warmest Color” director Abdellatif Kechiche’s real one in 2013.

Admittedly, things are getting better. Of the 11 times that three or more women have placed films in competition, eight have come in the last 13 years. Three women made the cut in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 — and four did so in 2011.

Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter Are Back for Third ‘Bill & Ted’ Film

On Tuesday, “Bill & Ted” was trending on Twitter in the United States because it was announced that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter would reprise their roles as “Ted” Theodore Logan and “Bill” S. Preston Esq. in “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” the third film in the franchise.

The first film, “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” was released in 1989. The sequel “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” came out in 1991.

MGM is set to release the film domestically under its Orion Pictures banner. Endeavor Content negotiated the deal. Bloom will be handling the international sales in Cannes this week and will be introducing the films to buyers.

Getty Images

Screen Media Sings for Julianne Moore’s ‘Bel Canto’

Screen Media picked up the North American rights to Paul Weitz’s “Bel Canto,” the company announced Tuesday.

The film, which Weitz and Anthony Weintraub adapted from the best-selling 2001 novel by Ann Patchett, stars Julianne Moore as a famous American soprano who travels to South America in the 1990s to give a private concert at the birthday party of a wealthy Japanese industrialist (Ken Watanabe) — and then gets caught in a hostage situation.

The cast also includes Sebastian Koch, Christopher Lambert, Ryo Kase, Tenoch Huerta, and María Mercedes Coroy.

Still No Selfies Allowed

Everyone can’t seem to stop talking about how adamant the festival is this year about not allowing selfies and photographs on the red carpet.

On Monday, TheWrap’s Steve Pond reported that The Cannes Film Festival has laid down some new, or at least updated, rules this year. No selfies on the red carpet. No Netflix films. No press screenings in advance of premieres.

The Los Angeles Times’ Amy Kaufman tweeted, “Everyone abiding by selfie rule. I got reprimanded for even having my phone camera on.”

Cannes is not messing around w/ selfie ban. I just got my ticket for opening gala, in envelope is this: “No selfies and pictures on the red carpet, thank you. *offenders will be denied entrance to the screenings.” No personal photography on most photographed red carpet in world. pic.twitter.com/ZFB27gDvxR

— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) May 8, 2018

If you're at #Cannes remember, no selfies, no Netflix, no horseplay, no hoop-and-stick, no hopscotch, no ice cream socials, no "jump rope," no homemade jams or jellies, no catching fireflies, no "May pole," and no referencing films any other way besides "The [Director Surname]"

— Josh L. Dickey (@JLDlite) May 8, 2018

At my first #cannes opening night and it feels even fancier than the #Oscars. They play music as stars walk down the red carpet and announce each celebrity with their resume. Also: Everyone abiding by selfie rule. I got reprimanded for even having my phone camera on.

— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) May 8, 2018

Read original story Cannes Report, Day 1: ‘Everybody Knows’ Premieres, Cate Blanchett Shines on the Croisette At TheWrap...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post).

This past weekend saw the release of Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs,” a movie that was inspired by classic Japanese cinema (even if some feel that it may ultimately have been more informed by its director’s personal worldview).

The film is littered with references to revered old masters like Akira Kurosawa, Seijun Suzuki, etc., but movie-lovers the world over may be much less familiar with the more recent history of Japanese cinema.

This week’s question: What is the best Japanese film of the 21st century?

Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York

The life-long, nourishing adventure of making one’s way through Ozu, Mizoguchi, Imamura and...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: In honor of this week’s “The 15:17 to Paris,” what is Clint Eastwood’s greatest film (either as an actor, or as a director)?

Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker

Almost impossible to choose, but something especially energized and deep-rooted results when a great filmmaker makes a movie about the practice of filmmaking, and something even more energized about Eastwood’s own incarnation of a John Huston-oidal director, as a vain blowhard and a squanderer, in “White Hunter Black Heart”; it’s the movie of a Hollywood filmmaker thinking equivocally about his industry and his confrontation with its ingrained practices and legends. Yet...

The Miseducation of Cameron Post has won the independent film festival’s highest honour for its study of teenagers struggling to ‘pray away the gay’

“Gay re-education” comedy-drama The Miseducation of Cameron Post has won the grand jury prize at the Sundance film festival, the most influential award on the Us independent circuit.

Directed by Desiree Akhavan and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, the adaptation of Emily M Danforth’s 2012 novel secured admiring reviews – including five stars from the Guardian’s Jordan Hoffman – for its compassionate study of Christian teenagers struggling with religious disapproval and the injunction to “pray away the gay”. It is Akhavan’s second feature as director, following her 2015 indie hit Appropriate Behaviour. The grand jury prize is a reliable marker of future potential, with recent winners including Whiplash, Fruitvale Station and Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: With “The Mummy” opening to mostly negative reviews this weekend, Universal’s attempt to kickstart its “Dark Universe” franchise is stuck in a rut. What would you do (or recommend the studio do) to make good movies out of Universal’s classic monsters?

Violet Lucca (@unbuttonmyeyes), Film Comment

The obvious response is “don’t try,” but since we’re a few years away from getting back to using original intellectual property in film, I’ll give them a few options.

One: ditch the self-seriousness of the modern action blockbuster and revive the genre mashup of the “Abbott and Costello Meet…” series. Get Channing Tatum...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: Apropos of absolutely nothing (and definitely not in response to a certain world leader taking disastrous steps towards dooming the environment of the only inhabitable planet we have), what is the best film about the end of the world?

Erin Whitney (@Cinemabite), ScreenCrush

It’s a hard tie between “Melancholia” and “Take Shelter.” One is a devastating meditation on depression, isolation and death, and the other is a dramatic masterpiece that evokes the dread and anxiety of a looming end. They’re very different films (and coincidentally opened within months of each other), but both end on final shots that left me breathless.

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: In honor of the Cannes Film Festival, the 70th edition of which starts this week, what is the best film to ever win the coveted Palme d’Or?

For a complete list of Palme d’Or winners, click here.

Erin Whitney (@Cinemabite), ScreenCrush

This question is impossible because I clearly haven’t seen all 40 Palme d’Or winners (it’s on my to do list, I swear). But I could easily say “Apocalypse Now,” “Paris, Texas,” “Taxi Driver,” “Amour,” or even “Pulp Fiction.” But since this is a personal question, I have to say “The Tree of Life.” No film has moved me...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

The lineup for Cannes 2017 has finally been announced, and it’s a doozy. From the inevitable return of Michael Haneke to the shocking inclusion of television (albeit television from celebrated Cannes alumni David Lynch and Jane Campion), the 70th edition of the world’s most prestigious film festival promises to have something for everyone.

We asked our panel of critics to name the Cannes premiere they’re most excited to see, and their answers were unsurprisingly all over the map.

April Wolfe (@awolfeful), La Weekly

Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here.”

My stomach knots are finally unraveling knowing that Ramsay’s about to unleash another...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

Last week, in the lead-up to the release of the new Zach Braff film “Going in Style,” a number of film critics were surprised to discover that the director had blocked them on Twitter. Some had exchanged tweets with him in the past, while others had never directly interacted with him before. Braff’s aggressively pro-active social media practices stand in stark contrast with how some other filmmakers choose to comport themselves on social media — from budding directors who are desperate for people to see their work, to the guy who’s directing the new “Star Wars” movie, many of Braff’s contemporaries are as accessible to...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: In honor of “Personal Shopper,” which finds Olivier Assayas re-teaming with his “Clouds of Sils Maria” star Kristen Stewart, who is the best director / actor duo in the movies today?

Mark Harris (@markharrisnyc), Vulture and Film Comment

Every time Matthew Broderick shows up in a movie directed by Kenneth Lonergan, I smile. It might seem an odd choice given that Lonergan has directed just three movies (“You Can Count on Me,” “Margaret,” and “Manchester by the Sea”) in 17 years, and also given that Broderick has played only supporting roles in those films. But Lonergan understands Broderick so well — his haplessness, his beleaguered, flawed decency,...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

Iconic, textured, and scarred beneath the surface, Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Logan puts the “human” in “superhuman.” In honor of his recent farewell as the man formerly known as Wolverine, we’ve asked our panel of critics to name the best performance in the history of superhero movies.

Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Freelance for Vox, Vulture, the Verge

My head tells me the correct answer is probably something like Heath Ledger’s swan song as “The Dark Knight”‘s rabid Joker or Michelle Pfeiffer as the kinked-up Catwoman in “Batman Returns.” But my heart’s in a cage — Nic Cage, to be specific. I recently revisited the...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

From “School Ties” to “Live By Night” and this weekend’s “The Great Wall,” Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have each — for better and worse — left a considerable and ever-increasing footprint in the cultural landscape. But while the world is wide enough for both of them, our hearts are not. And so, we forced our panel of critics to choose: Ben Affleck or Matt Damon?

There can be only one.

Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Freelance with Rolling Stone, Vulture, Vox

This is a toughie. In terms of looks, both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s faces remind me of between forty and fifty of my least-favorite classmates during...

Continuing our series of Guardian writers’ all-time Academy picks, Jordan Hoffman explains why Woody Allen’s film deserved to triumph over Star Wars

“Awards! They do nothing but give out awards!” – Alvy Singer in Los Angeles.

What normally wins the best picture Oscar can usually be divided between miserable and horrible. Most of the time a typical Academy voter comes off like one of those guys with saliva dribbling down his mouth who wanders into a cafeteria with a shopping bag screaming about socialism. Tuning in each year is irrational and crazy and absurd, but we keep going, I guess, because we need the eggs.

Continue reading...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: This past Friday saw the release of Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro,” a documentary that speaks to our present moment through the writings and actions of the late James Baldwin. What other documentaries — recent or not — might help people better understand and / or respond to the state of the world today?

Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker

“The state of the world today” is too big a matter for any one documentary, because there’s no one state of things, there’s an overwhelming diversity of experiences — and the history of movies is as much the history of the ones that it doesn’t show.

In “Gold,” Matthew McConaughey transforms into potbellied, balding and snaggletoothed Kenny Wells, a gold prospector who strikes it rich after he goes in search of it in the jungles of Indonesia. The first reviews for the film have been released, with critics agreeing that McConaughey gives a winning performance but the script lacks substance.

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich writes in his C- review that the film is “a watered down version of a fascinating real-life fraud” and that the script is “unfocused and severely underwritten.”

“Over time, ‘Gold’ becomes nothing more than a masterclass in watching a great actor try to build a fortune out of dirt, McConaughey — a man so inherently watchable that his affect alone elevated a series of car commercials into a meme — silting every line with enough vocal fry that the words almost seem to be hiding something under the surface. But it’s only a...

Justin Kurzel’s “Assassin’s Creed” starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, arrives in theaters this week. The story revolves around criminal Callum Lynch (Fassbender), who is set to be executed but when the Templars learn of his Assassin ancestry, they fake his death in order to use him for their mission. Critics’ reviews are in, with many not so thrilled about the latest video game movie.

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich gave the film a B- and called it a “silly, senseless and possibly the best video game movie ever made.”

“Justin Kurzel’s adaptation is utterly ridiculous, but it’s also the most interesting blockbuster in a year where most of them were boring…Declaring this to be the best video game movie ever made is the kind of backhanded compliment that sounds like hyperbole, but the description fits the bill on both counts.”

Read More: Review: ‘Assassin’s Creed’ Is Silly,...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question:

Recently, there has been a lot of chatter regarding projects like “O.J.: Made in America” (an eight-hour documentary that was produced by Espn but premiered at Sundance) and “Lemonade” (which needs no prior introduction, and debuted on HBO), and whether they should be classified as films or television shows.

The conversation has only grown more heated and urgent in the shadow of awards season, which demands that things be lumped into a small number of binary categories: Actor / Actress, Comedy / Drama, Fiction / Documentary, Film / Television. In a world where feature films are premiering on Netflix and miniseries-length documentaries are eligible for Oscars, should...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question:

Last Friday saw the release of Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Things to Come,” one of two new films starring Isabelle Huppert. In the lede of his review for The New York Times, A.O. Scott asked “Isabelle Huppert: Great actress, or greatest actress?” Huppert is certainly near the very top of the list, but we thought we’d take this opportunity to open the question to our panel of critics: Who is the best working actress in the world today?

Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker

A vote for someone else isn’t a vote against Isabelle Huppert, who is among the very greatest...

Looks like Adam Driver’s sacrifice – and indeed that of the film’s core cast and crew – has not been in vain. The first wave of reactions are beginning to pour online for Martin Scorsese’s religious opus, Silence, with some claiming that the director’s latest could well be one of his best.

As collated by The Film Stage, these review snippets began to surface after Silence screened for a handful of critics across New York and Los Angeles. They weren’t the only ones to get an early peek at Scorsese’s long-awaited passion project, as the director himself visited the Vatican earlier in the week to present Silence to Pope Francis and hundreds of priests and cardinals. No word on how the movie fared there, but thanks to the power of Twitter, we do have an overly positive sample of the critical consensus to peruse.

It’s been a long time coming,...

There is silence no more. After screening for hundreds of priests at the Vatican yesterday, the floodgates for reactions to Martin Scorsese‘s Silence have now opened. While an official review embargo is still set for later this month, select critics in New York and Los Angeles had the chance to see the director’s long-gestating adaptation of Shūsaku Endō‘s novel and, for the most part, it sounds like it was worth the wait. Ahead of our review, check out the reactions below (and we’ll add more as they arrive) along with a link to the full score, now available to stream.

I saw Silence twice today. First time, I was absorbed, impressed, moved. Second time, I was in tears. One of Scorsese’s greatest films.

— Life’s Scary Enough (@BilgeEbiri) November 30, 2016

Second screening revealed it to be one of Scorsese’s most beautifully structured & composed films. And...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question:

Last Friday saw the release of Garth Davis’ “Lion,” the musical score for which is the gorgeous result of a collaboration between two giants of the neo-classical movement, Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka. It’s just the latest indication that we’re living in a fascinating, vibrant time for movie music, and December boasts a number of films that will only add more fuel to that fire. With that in mind, we asked our panel of critics to name their favorite film score of the 21st Century.

Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson), The Verge

There are some really striking contenders out there, topped by Susumu Hirasawa’s manic,...

Warren Beatty’s fascination with director and aviation tycoon Howard Hughes began in the 1970s, when he saw Hughes in a hotel in Los Angeles. Now, forty years since that encounter and almost twenty years since his last directorial effort, “Rules Don’t Apply,” written, directed, produced and starring Beatty as Hughes himself, finally hits theaters at the end of the month. The film debuted at AFI Fest on the evening of November 10, and the first reviews are praising Beatty’s vision, but craving more substance.

In his review for IndieWire, our own Eric Kohn wrote that, while the film is beautifully rendered, the story tends towards the harmless: “A sweet, old-fashioned Hollywood romance that just so happens to involve Howard Hughes as a supporting character, Beatty’s long-gestating project is a modestly enjoyable, well-acted nostalgia piece with just a touch of edge. As passion projects go, this one’s disarmingly slight in its ambitions,...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday morning. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: What is the best horror film of the 21st century?

Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Freelancer for Rolling Stone, The Verge, Vulture

Everyone knows that the greatest Halloween film of all time is the 1962 nudie-cutie “House on Bare Mountain,” and my slavish devotion to giallo means that personal favorite horror movie of the new century is “Berberian Sound Studio”, but those are both answers to questions nobody asked. The finest horror film of the new millennium is “Cabin in the Woods”, both a dissertation on the history of the American scary movie and a chilling piece of work in its own right. With a fiendishly clever narrative hook,...